Say someone wants to make a video of a politician during an open meeting, but the politician creates a verbal restriction against any videos which may be made of him during the open meeting. The way he most likely would enforce this restriction is through the police. Should the police be allowed to enforce the politician’s verbal restriction, even though the meeting is an open one, and it is not legal to enforce this form of restriction?
Before diving in and answering this question first it is best to explain what is the main job or duty of the government: which is to protect the rights of the citizens. The main job of the police is to enforce this protection. But say if a politician allows the police to enforce his restriction against making a video of him that goes against the freedom(this does not go for every country), of speech and press.
Back to the question. The answer to the question above is no. The police should not be allowed to enforce a politician’s verbal restriction against making a video of him at an open meeting. This goes against the public’s protection or freedom of the press. This is pretty obvious, but why would a politician want this form of restriction to be enforced? Today is a time of social media, and the ability to broadcast and spread information is more at our fingertips than before. This ultimately means that politicians will now be easily held more accountable for their actions and what they say, which puts them at risk if they are proven accountable. It seems that politicians, at least most of them, do not exactly want to be held accountable.
In conclusion, my answer to the question: should the police be allowed to enforce a politician’s verbal restriction against making a video of him at an open meeting, is no. At least in the legal perspective.
The Dreamer 